Scribing tool for marking lines on hard surfaces



1967 w. H. WHITE 3,337,951

SCRIBING TOOL FOR MARKING LINES ON HARD SURFACES Filed March 4, 1966 I3 I T I 22 Will-VI i L\\\\\\\\\ FIGS 20 INVE NTOR WIL BE RT H.WHITE Lwa a: )mz

ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,337,951 SCRIBING TOOL FOR MARKING LINES N HARD SURFACES Wilbert H. White, Retsil, Wash. (Station 16, Agana, Guam 96910) Filed Mar. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 531,862 2 Claims. (Cl. 30164.9)

My invention relates to a scribing tool for marking lines on hard surfaces.

An object of my invention is to provide a scribing tool having at least one scribing tooth of appreciable width which is sharpened to a chisel edge so that when it is drawn across a hard surface it will make a line which is wide enough to be seen easily.

Another object is to provide a scribing tool including a flat shank having a handle rigid with one end thereof and having on its other end two integral scribing teeth which are especially well adapted for time saving use in scribing lines on metal parts, such as channel bars, angle bars, T-bars and the like, one of said scribing teeth extending in a direction approximately at right angles to a longitudinal axis common to the handle and shank and the other scribing tooth extending outwardly from the end of the shank in a direction generally parallel tobut slightly divergent from the axis of the handle and shank, both of said teeth being flat and being in the same plane and the two teeth being on opposite sides of the axis of the handle and shank.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings- FIGURE 1 is a View in side elevation of a scribing tool constructed in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, on a larger scale than FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrating an application of my scribing tool to a surface in scribing a mark on the surface.

FIG. 4 is a plan view on a smaller scale than FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, illustrating one method of using my scribing tool and a machinists square in scribing a straight line on a flat surface.

FIG. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on broken line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating a method of using my scribing tool at an edge of a piece of material in making a markon one side of said piece of material in accurate registration with a scribed line on the opposite side thereof.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the use of the tool in scribing lines in an inside corner.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation showing use of my tool in scribing an outline of a recess in one piece of material on another piece of material.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

My scribing tool comprises a fiat metal shank 10, a handle 11 rigid with one end portion of said shank and two integral scriber blades 12 and 13 rigid with the other end portion of said shank 10. Preferably the shank extends well back into the handle 11 for strength and rigidity. The tooth 12 extends approximately at right angles from one edge of the shank 10 and has a front edge 14 disposed in a plane which is at an angle of slightly more than ninety degrees relative to a longitudinal axis A of the shank and handle, shown by dot and dash lines, FIG. 3. The tooth 12 terminates in a scribing tip 15, which in cross section, is chisel shaped and of ap- 3,337,951 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 preciable width so that when it is applied with pressure to a surface and drawn across the same it will make a mark which is wide enough to be seen easily.

When the tooth 12 is applied in the usual way to a surface S, as shown in FIG. 3, it will be held in a position such that the axis A is inclined at an angle in the order of twenty to thirty degrees relative to the plane of the surface S. This will place the tooth 12 in a position so that the angle between the front face 14 of said tooth 12 and the surface S, on the side toward which the scriber is being moved, is a little more than ninety degrees and the scriber end 15 will have some tendency to dig in when drawn 'across the surface S under pressure. The tooth 12, being approximately at right angles to the shank 10 and handle 11, is especially well adapted for use in making marks in narrow and restricted places which only afford limited clearance for the tool and hand of the user.

The tooth 13 extends outwardly from the end of the shank 10 in a direction generally parallel to but divergent from the axis A, its divergence from the axis A preferably being in the order of thirty degrees. Said tooth 13 is on the opposite side of the axis A from the tooth 12 and the two teeth lie in the same plane. The forward or outer edges 16 and 17. of the two flat teeth 12 and 13 respectively are inclined relative to each other and intersect on or near the axis A so that the forward end of the tool is of re-entrant or shallow flattened V-notch shape. This re-entrant shape helps in providing better clearance and better visibility.

The tooth 13 has a scribing tip 18 which is sharpened to a chisel edge and further has an outer inclined edge 19 opposed to its inclined edge 17. Both scribing teeth 12 and 13 are of triangular outline and the chisel shaped scribing edges of both extend crosswise of the plane of the shank 11.

This scriber can be made of steel which is tougher and less brittle than the steel ordinarily used in scribers of the type having needle points and which dulls but does not crack or break easily. This makes possible sharpening of my scriber with an ordinary grinder and with ordinary sharpening tools as contrasted to conventional needle point scribers, which require special grinders and tools and special handling in sharpening.

The two teeth 12 and 13 cooperate in providing a scribing tool which is convenient and time saving, particularly when used for scribing lines on structural steel work pieces, such as the angle bar 20 shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 inclusive.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show a conventional machinists square applied to the angle bar 20 for guiding my scribing tool, said square comprising a thicker head part 21 and a thinner square blade 22 adjustable relative to the head part 21.

It is frequently desired to scribe two lines on opposite sides of a work piece in exact registration with each other. In such instances it is common practice to apply the square and scribe the first line to the edge of the work piece; then apply the square again and scribe the line across the edge of the work piece; then apply the square 21 third time and scribe the registering line on the opposite side of the work piece. This makes three applications of the square to the work piece in scribing the two registering lines on opposite sides of the same. My scribing tool makes it possible to scribe the two registering lines on opposite sides of the work piece with two settings or applications of the square. This can be done by using the tooth 13 as shown in FIG. 5 in scribing a first line on one side of the work piece with one setting of the square. Then without changing the position of the square or releasing or changing the grip on the tool and with the side of the shank 10 maintained flatly and squarely against square blade 22 the scribing tool 12 is engaged under the work piece as shown in FIG. 6 and moved enough, preferably in the direction indicated by the arrow, to make a mark on the bottom side of the work piece in accurate registration with the mark on the top side thereof. If a mark on the edge of the work piece is desired it can be made at the same time by passing the tooth 12 across said edge. Then by using the registering mark on the bottom of the work piece as a guide the square can be correctly applied to the bottom or opposite side of the work piece and the second line scribed thereof in accurate registration with the first line. My scribing tool thus makes possible saving of time because it saves one application of the square to the Work piece when two registering lines are to be scribed on opposite sides of said work piece.

FIG. 7 illustrates the use of the tooth 13 for scribing in an inside corner of the angle bar 20. This use of the tooth 13 makes it possible to continue marks made by the tooth 12 into inside corners and like places where they cannot be made with the tooth 12. Also the tooth 13 is well adapted for making fine lines in accurate registration with a guide member, such as the square blade 22. This is done by positioning said tooth 13 so that one of its edges 17 or 19 rests flatly against the straight edge used and the chisel edge of the tooth is parallel with the straight edge and substantially flush with the edge thereof against which it rests. The tooth 13 is further well aadpted for use, as shown in FIG. 8 for marking on one piece 20 of material an outline of an opening 23 of another Piece 24 which rests on the piece 20.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for scribing lines on hard surfaces comprising a thin flat metal shank; a handle rigid with one end portion of said shank; a flat integral scribing tooth extending in a generally transverse direction from the other end portion of said shank, said tooth having a forward edge disposed substantially at right angles to the axis .of said shank and said tooth terminating in a scribing tip sharpened to a chisel edge which extends crosswise of the plane of the shank and is adapted to scribe a line of substantial width; and another thin flat integral scribing tooth protruding outwardly from the end of said shank and inclined at an angle in the order of thirty degrees relative to the axis of the shank and terminating in a scribing tip sharpened to a chisel edge, said edge extending crosswise of the plane of the shank, said shank and said two teeth being in a common plane and said two teeth beingat opposite sides of the axis of said shank.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the scribing teeth are both of triangular outline and in which their outermost forward edges are inclined relative to each other and intersect approximately on the axis of the shank thereby forming a re-entrant forward terminal end of flattened V-shape on said tool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 230,736 6/ 1885 Winzenried 14524 7 366,308 7/ 1887 Derby 30164.9 780,727 1/ 1905 Pendergast. 2,297,684 10/ 1942 Bratcher 30l64.9 2,847,758 8/ 1958 Kozan 30l64.9

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

R. V. PARKER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR SCRIBING LINES ON HARD SURFACES COMPRISING A THIN FLAT METAL SHANK; A HANDLE RIGID WITH ONE END PORTION OF SAID SHANK; A FLAT INTEGRAL SCRIBING TOOTH EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY TRANSVERSE DIRECTION FROM THE OTHER END PORTION OF SAID SHANK, SAID TOOTH HAVING A FORWARD EDGE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHANK AND SAID TOOTH TERMINATING IN A SCRIBING TIP SHARPENED TO A CHISEL EDGE WHICH EXTENDS CROSSWISE OF THE PLANE OF THE SHANK AND IS ADAPTED TO SCRIBE A LINE OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH; AND ANOTHER THIN FLAT INTEGRAL SCRIBING TOOTH PROTRUDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE END OF SAID SHANK AND INCLINED AT AN ANGLE IN THE ORDER OF THIRTY DEGREES RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF THE SHANK AND TERMINATING IN A SCRIBING TIP SHARPENED TO A CHISEL EDGE, SAID EDGE EXTENDING CROSSWISE OF THE PLANE OF THE SHANK, SAID SHANK AND SAID TWO TEETH BEING IN A COMMON PLANE AND SAID TWO TEETH BEING AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE AXIS OF SAID SHANK. 